A First Look at the Nuclear Region of M31 with Chandra

We report on the first observation of the nuclear region of M31 with the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The nuclear source seen with the Einstein and ROSAT HRIs is resolved into five point sources. One of these sources is within 1" of the M31 central supermassive black hole. As compared to the other point sources in M31, this nuclear source has an unusual X-ray spectrum. Based on the spatial coincidence, we speculate that this source is associated with the central black hole and note that the unusual spectrum is a challenge to some current theories. A bright transient is detected ~26" to the west of the nucleus and may be associated with a stellar mass black hole.